Archibald Little was born in 1810, at Camberwell, London. He was the son of Archibald Little and Agnes Oliver. He was commissioned as a cornet in the 9th Lancers on 4 Oct 1831. From there his promotions were:
1832 Lieutenant 31 Aug
1837 Captain 24 Feb
1850 Major 5 April
1854 Lieutenant-Colonel 20 June
1857 Colonel 20 June
1868 Major-General 6 Mar
1877 Lieutenant General 11 July
1880 General 21 Jan
He served with the 9th Lancers in the First Sikh War of 1846, and was at Sobraon. In the Indian Mutiny he commanded the cavalry at the Relief of Lucknow where he was wounded by a musket-ball in the elbow. He commanded a post at Dilkoosha from 16 to 24 Nov 1857 for which he received the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief and Governor General, and awarded the CB. At Cawnpore he commanded cavalry and three Troops of Horse Artillery, and pursued the mutineers of Gwalior on 6 Dec 1857, fighting actions at Seraighat and Khudargunge. He was Mentioned in Despatches three times. In the portrait he wears the stripe-ribboned medal for the Mutiny, with two clasps.
He was commanding officer of the 9th Lancers after the Indian Mutiny, from 1858 to 1861, and was appointed Colonel of the Regiment from 8 Mar 1875 until his death on 10 June 1891. He was married twice; first to Jane Orme on 7 June 1854, in London, having 7 children with her. She died in 1868 and he married again in 1870, to Elizabeth Loftus, daughter of Lt-General W F B Loftus. His son, Malcolm Orme Little ( born 29 Nov 1857), commanded the 9th Lancers from 15 March 1900 to 15 March 1904. Sir Archibald Little died on 10 June 1891 at Upton House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire.
